The Modern Life of an Ancient Language | Humanities & Social Sciences

The Modern Life of an Ancient Language

Tuesday Seminar
Speaker: 
Professor Ananya Vajpeyi
Date and Time: 
Tue, 14/03/2023 - 3:30pm to 5:00pm
Schedule: 
03:30 PM to 05:00 PM
Venue: 
HSS Committee Room, MS-610, IIT Campus

ABSTRACT: This lecture revisits the history of Sanskrit in modern times, as this ancient language finds new life and meaning in a world shaped by nationalism, science, and struggles over identity.

SPEAKER: ANANYA VAJPEYI is a Fellow and Associate Professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi. She works at the intersection of intellectual history, political theory and critical philology. She is the author of the award-winning book, Righteous Republic: The Political Foundations of Modern India (2012) and has co-edited a volume on Minorities and Populism*(2020) and as well as Ashis Nandy: A Life in Dissent(2018). She is currently working on a book about Sanskrit in modern times, and has a long-term project on the life and ideas of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (1891-1956).